The performance of semiconductor devices used in electronic circuits often degrades over time due to the effects of hot carrier injection, bias temperature instability, oxide breakdown, etc. This performance degradation is generally referred to as “semiconductor aging,” or simply “aging.” In processor cores, semiconductor aging is manifested as a reduction in processor speed over time, for a given supply voltage. One way to combat some of the effects of aging is to increase the operating voltage of the semiconductor device over its minimum operating voltage (V0) by a voltage margin. However, the voltage margin required to offset the effects of aging semiconductor material increases with the age of the semiconductor device.
Thus, there is need in the art for electronic devices that address the problems caused by aging semiconductor materials, but that is also sensitive to power consumption.